2013 BUICK LACROSSE temperature control

Black plate (22,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
9-22 Driving and Operating
to OFF. If the driver door is opened
while in auto stop mode, a chime
will sound.
To restart the engine during auto
stop, release the brake pedal or
press the accelerator pedal. The
engine starts immediately. The
vehicle continues to run until the
next stop.
There are several conditions that
may prevent an auto stop or cause
an auto start.
The Engine Will Remain
Running When:
.The engine, transmission,
or high voltage battery is not
warmed up yet.
.The outside temperature is less
than−20°C (−4°F).
.The air conditioning or defrost
system need the compressor to
maintain vehicle comfort. See
Dual Automatic Climate Control
System on page 8‑1 The warmer
it is outside, the shorter the time
before the engine is restarted to provide cabin cooling. To
maximize fuel economy, use the
eco air conditioning mode.
.The shift lever is in P (Park),
N (Neutral), R (Reverse),
or M (Manual Mode).
.The high voltage battery pack
charge is low.
.The hood is not fully closed.
.Brake pedal pressure is low.
.If the malfunction indicator lamp
is on, auto stop may be
prevented.
.High humidity is detected.
The Engine Will Restart When:
.The brake pedal is released.
.The accelerator pedal is applied.
.Shifting out of D (Drive) to any
other gear.
.The air conditioning or defrost
system need the compressor to
maintain vehicle comfort. See
Dual Automatic Climate Control
System on page 8‑1. The warmer it is outside, the shorter
the time before the engine is
restarted to provide cabin
cooling. To maximize fuel
economy, use the eco air
conditioning mode.
.The climate control system is
turned from off to normal air
conditioning or defrost. See
Dual
Automatic Climate Control
System on page 8‑1.
.The engine is required to run for
either heater or climate control
performance. See Dual
Automatic Climate Control
System on page 8‑1.
.The high voltage battery pack
charge is low and requires
recharging.
.Auto stop time is greater than
two minutes.
.The hood is opened.

Black plate (57,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
Vehicle Care 10-57
Treadwear indicators are one way to
tell when it is time for new tires.
Treadwear indicators appear when
the tires have only 1.6 mm (1/16 in)
or less of tread remaining. SeeTire
Inspection on page 10‑55 andTire
Rotation on page 10‑55.
The rubber in tires ages over time.
This also applies to the spare tire,
if the vehicle has one, even if it is
never used. Multiple factors
including temperatures, loading
conditions, and inflation pressure
maintenance affect how fast aging
takes place. GM recommends that
tires, including the spare if equipped, be replaced after six
years, regardless of tread wear. The
tire manufacturer date is the last
four digits of the DOT Tire
Identification Number (TIN) which is
molded into one side of the tire
sidewall. The first two digits
represent the week (01–52) and the
last two digits, the year. For
example, the third week of the year
2010 would have a four-digit DOT
date of 0310.Vehicle Storage
Tires age when stored normally
mounted on a parked vehicle. Park
a vehicle that will be stored for at
least a month in a cool, dry, clean
area away from direct sunlight to
slow aging. This area should be free
of grease, gasoline, or other
substances that can deteriorate
rubber.
Parking for an extended period can
cause flat spots on the tires that
may result in vibrations while
driving. When storing a vehicle for
at least a month, remove the tires or
raise the vehicle to reduce the
weight from the tires.
Buying New Tires
GM has developed and matched
specific tires for the vehicle. The
original equipment tires installed
were designed to meet General
Motors Tire Performance Criteria
Specification (TPC Spec)
system rating. When
replacement tires are needed,
GM strongly recommends
buying tires with the same TPC
Spec rating.
GM's exclusive TPC Spec
system considers over a dozen
critical specifications that impact
the overall performance of the
vehicle, including brake system
performance, ride and handling,
traction control, and tire
pressure monitoring
performance. GM's TPC Spec

Black plate (59,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
Vehicle Care 10-59
sure they are the same size,
load range, speed rating, and
construction (radial) as the
original tires.
Vehicles that have a tire
pressure monitoring system
could give an inaccurate
low-pressure warning if non-TPC
Spec rated tires are installed.
SeeTire Pressure Monitor
System on page 10‑50.
The Tire and Loading
Information label indicates the
original equipment tires on the
vehicle. See Vehicle Load Limits
on page 9‑10.
Different Size Tires and
Wheels
If wheels or tires are installed that
are a different size than the original
equipment wheels and tires, vehicle
performance, including its braking,
ride and handling characteristics,
stability, and resistance to rollover may be affected. If the vehicle has
electronic systems such as antilock
brakes, rollover airbags, traction
control, electronic stability control,
or All-Wheel Drive, the performance
of these systems can also be
affected.
{WARNING
If different sized wheels are used,
there may not be an acceptable
level of performance and safety if
tires not recommended for those
wheels are selected. This
increases the chance of a crash
and serious injury. Only use GM
specific wheel and tire systems
developed for the vehicle, and
have them properly installed by a
GM certified technician.
See Buying New Tires on
page 10‑57 andAccessories and
Modifications on page 10‑3.
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading
Quality grades can be found
where applicable on the tire
sidewall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width. For
example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
The following information relates
to the system developed by the
United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), which grades tires by
treadwear, traction, and
temperature performance. This
applies only to vehicles sold in
the United States. The grades
are molded on the sidewalls of
most passenger car tires. The
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
(UTQG) system does not apply
to deep tread, winter tires,
compact spare tires, tires with

Black plate (60,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
10-60 Vehicle Care
nominal rim diameters of
10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm),
or to some limited-production
tires.
While the tires available on
General Motors passenger cars
and light trucks may vary with
respect to these grades, they
must also conform to federal
safety requirements and
additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC)
standards.
All Passenger Car Tires Must
Conform to Federal Safety
Requirements In Addition To
These Grades.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a
comparative rating based on the
wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a
specified government test
course. For example, a tiregraded 150 would wear one and
one-half (1½) times as well on
the government course as a tire
graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of
their use, however, and may
depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving
habits, service practices and
differences in road
characteristics and climate.
Traction
–AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from
highest to lowest, are AA, A, B,
and C. Those grades represent
the tire's ability to stop on wet
pavement as measured under
controlled conditions on
specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and
concrete. A tire marked C may
have poor traction performance.
Warning: The traction grade
assigned to this tire is based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include
acceleration, cornering,
hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.
Temperature
–A, B, C
The temperature grades are A
(the highest), B, and C,
representing the tire's resistance
to the generation of heat and its
ability to dissipate heat when
tested under controlled
conditions on a specified indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained
high temperature can cause the
material of the tire to degenerate
and reduce tire life, and
excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure. The grade
C corresponds to a level of
performance which all
passenger car tires must meet
under the Federal Motor Safety
Standard No. 109. Grades B and
A represent higher levels of

Black plate (61,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
Vehicle Care 10-61
performance on the laboratory
test wheel than the minimum
required by law. Warning: The
temperature grade for this tire is
established for a tire that is
properly inflated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed,
underinflation, or excessive
loading, either separately or in
combination, can cause heat
buildup and possible tire failure.
Wheel Alignment and Tire
Balance
The tires and wheels were aligned
and balanced at the factory to
provide the longest tire life and best
overall performance. Adjustments to
wheel alignment and tire balancing
will not be necessary on a regular
basis. However, check the
alignment if there is unusual tire
wear or if the vehicle is pulling to
one side or the other. If the vehicle
vibrates when driving on a smoothroad, the tires and wheels might
need to be rebalanced. See your
dealer for proper diagnosis.
Wheel Replacement
Replace any wheel that is bent,
cracked, or badly rusted or
corroded. If wheel nuts keep coming
loose, the wheel, wheel bolts, and
wheel nuts should be replaced.
If the wheel leaks air, replace it.
Some aluminum wheels can be
repaired. See your dealer if any of
these conditions exist.
Your dealer will know the kind of
wheel that is needed.
Each new wheel should have the
same load-carrying capacity,
diameter, width, offset, and be
mounted the same way as the one it
replaces.
Replace wheels, wheel bolts, wheel
nuts, or Tire Pressure Monitor
System (TPMS) sensors with new
GM original equipment parts.
{WARNING
Using the wrong replacement
wheels, wheel bolts, or wheel
nuts can be dangerous. It could
affect the braking and handling of
the vehicle. Tires can lose air,
and cause loss of control, causing
a crash. Always use the correct
wheel, wheel bolts, and wheel
nuts for replacement.
Notice: The wrong wheel can
also cause problems with bearing
life, brake cooling, speedometer
or odometer calibration,
headlamp aim, bumper height,
vehicle ground clearance, and tire
or tire chain clearance to the
body and chassis.

Black plate (18,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
13-18 Customer Information
Reporting Safety Defects
to the Canadian
Government
If you live in Canada, and you
believe that the vehicle has a safety
defect, notify Transport Canada
immediately, and notify General
Motors of Canada Limited. Call
Transport Canada at
1-800-333-0510 or write to:
Transport Canada
Road Safety Branch
80 rue Noel
Gatineau, QC J8Z 0A1
Reporting Safety Defects
to General Motors
In addition to notifying NHTSA (or
Transport Canada) in a situation like
this, please notify General Motors.
Call 1-800-521-7300, or write:
Buick Customer Assistance Center
P.O. Box 33136
Detroit, MI 48232-5136
In Canada, call 1-800-263-3777
(English) or 1-800-263-7854
(French), or write:
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Care Centre, Mail Code:
CA1-163-005
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario L1H 8P7
Vehicle Data
Recording and
Privacy
The vehicle has a number of
computers that record information
about the vehicle’s performance and
how it is driven. For example, the
vehicle uses computer modules to
monitor and control engine and
transmission performance, to
monitor the conditions for airbag
deployment and deploy them in a
crash, and, if equipped, to provide
antilock braking to help the driver
control the vehicle. These modules
may store data to help the dealer
technician service the vehicle.
Some modules may also store data
about how the vehicle is operated,
such as rate of fuel consumption or
average speed. These modules may
retain personal preferences, such as
radio presets, seat positions, and
temperature settings.

Black plate (3,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
INDEX i-3
Climate Control SystemsDual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . 13-14
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . 10-86
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4 Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Compressor Kit, Tire Sealant . . . . . . . . . .10-64, 10-71
Connections
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-3
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Coolant Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Engine TemperatureGauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Engine Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17 Engine Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Courtesy Transportation Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-12 Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . 13-5 Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-4, 13-5
Text Telephone (TTY)Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-5
Customer Information Service PublicationsOrdering Information . . . . . . 13-16
Customer Satisfaction Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-1, 13-3
D
Damage Repair, Collision . . . . . 13-14
Danger, Warnings, andCautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Data Recorders, Event . . . . . . . 13-19
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Devices Auxiliary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18 Diagnostics
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Differential, Limited-Slip . . . . . . . 9-37
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Power Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Drive Belt Routing, Engine . . . . . 12-4
Drive Systems All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . 10-28, 9-30
Driver Efficiency Gauge . . . . . . . 5-12
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Driving Characteristics andTowing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Defensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Drunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
For Better Fuel Economy . . . . . 1-23
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . 9-7
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . . . 9-9

Black plate (4,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
i-4 INDEX
Driving (cont'd)Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Dual Automatic Climate Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
E
E85 Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-49
Electric Parking Brake Light . . . 5-19
Electrical Equipment,Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57
Electrical System Engine Compartment
Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Instrument Panel Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Emergency OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2 Engine
Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Check and Service Engine
Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 10-6
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17
Cooling System Messages . . . 5-34
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-4
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Oil Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Overheated Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 9-27
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-56 Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . 13-19
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps Off Reminder . . . 6-2
F
Features
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Filter, Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 6-4
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-62 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-80
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-98
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . 10-14
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Fog Lamps Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24